Giants-Eagles Preview: Philly Ready to Run the Table

NFC East rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants, square off in the Divisional Round on Saturday night. The top-seeded Eagles come into the weekend well-rested as they enjoyed their well-earned first-round bye, with the Giants looking hot after a resilient victory in Minnesota on Sunday. Giants @ Eagles Game Information

• Location: Lincoln Financial Field | Philadelphia, PA
• Time: 8:15 p.m. ET | TV: FOX

Don’t make too much of the Eagles only beating the Giants 22-16 when the G-Men rested most starters in Week 18. It was a vanilla game plan on both sides, as Hurts got his game reps, and Philly clinched the number one seed. 

Now, the Eagles have regained some health with All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson, who has not allowed a sack since November of 2020, preparing to return. The Giants will be coming into Sunday at nearly complete health as well, with a couple of starters appearing on the injury report, but they are expected to play on Saturday.

• Spread: Giants +7.5 (-108) | Eagles -7.5 (-112)
• Moneyline: Giants (+290) | Eagles (-360)
• Total: Over 48.5 (-105) | Under 48.5 (-115)

I’ll get my prediction out of the way quickly. The Eagles will win by double digits. Let’s look at the matchup where the Eagles dismantled the Giants 48-22. At full strength, there’s a talent gap. Besides running back with Saquon Barkley, is there a position group at which the Giants are better than the Eagles? Nothing clear, that’s for sure.

They beat a Minnesota team last week that many called one of the most fraudulent 13-win teams ever. The Giants have been a fun story but are ahead of schedule, while the Eagles know this is their opportunity. In front of a rabid Philly crowd, the Eagles won’t miss. Lay the points.

• DeVonta Smith OVER 63.5 Yards (-114)
• Richie James UNDER 44.5 Receiving Yards (-114)
• Darius Slayton OVER 46.5 Receiving Yards (-114)
• Boston Scott ATDS (+390)

I’d argue that DeVonta Smith has been one of the most underrated receivers this season. It’s understandable, with a lot of the light being shined on AJ Brown, but Smitty ranks 11th in the league in receptions and ninth in yards. Over the last nine weeks, he’s been targeted eight-plus times in every game and surpassed this yardage in seven. 

We’re looking to correlate to receiver props on the Giants based on last week’s rotation and the matchup against the Eagles secondary. Richie James only saw 60% of the snaps against Minnesota, whereas Isaiah Hodgins and Darius Slayton surpassed 90%. 

We’re looking to play James UNDER. Slayton operates primarily out of the slot and attacks the most vulnerable part of Philadelphia’s strong pass defense with Avonte Maddox out. So, we’ll play his OVER. 

For those unfamiliar with Eagles football, you may be unacquainted with the Giant Killer: Boston Scott. In eight career games against the G-Men, he’s found the endzone in every game. At nearly 4-1 odds, we think Nick Sirianni will feed him some touches near the goal line because why not?